Eggless Quiche with Polenta

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I've wanted to make quiche for some time. But VB says 1) its bad for his cholesterol and 2) only girls eat quiche. Unfortunately, those claims are true. Have you ever seen a man order quiche?

I can't change the fact that quiche is girl food, but I can do something about the cholesterol. Here, I've made a quiche with tofu instead of eggs and polenta instead of pie pastry. I do like the tofu part -- it's pretty flavorful and not obviously soy-y. I think the texture can be firmer. Next time, I'll spend more time pressing water out of the tofu -- that should make for a firmer quiche.

I like polenta, but not in this dish. For me, the polenta isn't enough of a flavor or textural contrast from the tofu. I will probably try the recipe again but substituting the polenta with something else.

The recipe calls for "nutritional yeast," which is an ingredient common in vegan cooking but one that I've never used. You can buy it in the bulk section at Whole Foods. It is flaky, smells and tastes pretty much like dry cheese powder. So much so that this morning, I found Tangerine (a.k.a. "Fatty") had dragged the bag down from the counter in the middle of the night and tore through the plastic to get to the cheesy goodness. Even she can't tell it's not cheese!!

You can find the recipe for the eggless polenta quiche here.

Potato Chickpea Paratha

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I call this 'paratha', but this bread really defies categorization. Paratha is a kind of Indian stuffed bread, generally filled with potatoes and many spices. I took the idea of paratha and stuffed it with leftover potato chickpea patties with cilantro pesto. It's not a traditional Indian paratha stuffing at all. In fact, I don't really know what it is. Mexican? Italian? Chinese???!?! I have no idea. But I don't feel the need to call it any particular thing. It's just a piece of delicious stuffed flat bread.

To make this bread, you'll need:

• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of semolina
• 1/4 cup of rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil or clarified butter or canola oil
  
• 1/2 cup of warm water

First, combine all the dry ingredients and add the fat. Stir so the fat is evenly distributed. Pour in the water and knead until smooth. Let the dough relax for at least 15 minutes. Portion the dough into about 10 equal pieces. Form each piece into small balls and then flatten into disks. Place the desired filling in the middle of the disk. Make sure the filling is warm as it helps to form the bread later. Stretch the dough so that it covers all of the filling and form a ball. Pinch the dough shut. Flatten the bread by pulling with fingers or pressing with the heel of your hand. Resist the urge to use a rolling pin, you will break the dough. Work the dough slowly and gently to stretch it into a flat bread. If your dough breaks, congratulations, you're not perfect. But it's okay, just patch it with some scrap dough. As you can see, mine are still pretty thick. I'd rather have thicker bread than spill all my filling. If you have trouble with this recipe, watch this video.

Place the bread onto a hot non-stick skillet that is lightly greased with some oil. Cook over medium heat until crispy, then flip, about 4 minutes on each side.

I'm very happy with this paratha. It's crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. We paired it some mint chutney, but I think this would be delicious with some pico de gallo too. I still don't know what kind of food this is, but who cares!!

Potato and Chickpea 'Burger' with Cilantro Pesto

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Those with cilantro aversion should probably look away right now, because I've made cilantro pesto. I got the idea from the New York Times article on cilantro haters. I've witnessed cilantro haters in action all my life; my mother spends a significant amount of time picking cilantro out of her food whenever we dine out. I happen to find cilantro inoffensive. I have even grown to appreciate it after years of eating Chinese and Mexico food. Cilantro pesto, as it turns out, does have a milder taste. The combination of cilantro and pistachios is a good one; the earthy nutty sweetness of pistachios makes cilantro taste less sharp and soapy.

You'll need:

• 2 lightly packed cups of cilantro
• 1 cup of toasted pistachios
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
• 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup of bread crumbs
  
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 celery ribs, minced

Start by processing cilantro, pistachios, garlic and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a thick, smooth paste. Puree canned chickpeas into a paste. Sweat onion and celery in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Combine onion, celery, cilantro pesto, mashed potatoes, bread crumbs and chickpeas. You definitely don't need an egg in this mixture because it will be thick.

Form patties and pan fry over medium high heat in a non-stick skillet for 4 minutes each side. The serving options are pretty much endless. I think this would be good with some salsa and avocado slices. Here, I made an open faced sandwich with a slice of tomato, some baby greens and a three-and-a-half minute poached egg. We got this awesome raisin and walnut bread from Andrae's Bakery in Amador City, where we spent a wonderful weekend wine tasting. The sweetness of the bread really complements the creamy and nutty patties.